Daggers in the Storm

After a storm in northern Poland, two local treasure hunters encountered a surprise. 

On a beach in the Kamień district, they uncovered a small ornamental dagger embedded in a lump of clay, and decorated with stars, crescent moons, and geometric patterns. 

Soon after, having met with archeologist Grzegorz Kurka, director of the Museum of the History of Kamień Land, they were told they had found a “masterpiece,” according to a statement from the museum. 

The dagger could date back some 2,500 years to the Hallstatt culture, which existed in Western Europe between the eighth and the fifth centuries BCE.  

“I didn’t expect to make such a big discovery, but the moment I saw this item, I just knew it could be something valuable, ” said Katarzyna Herdzik, who found the dagger along with Jacek Ukowski. Both are part of a metal detectorists’ group called the St. Cordula Association for the Saving of Monuments. 

Archeologists believe the find came about after the storm dislodged the piece of clay from the face of a nearby cliff. “The cliff was eroded, and the block must have collapsed,” said Ukowski. “I went there with the metal detector because it started ringing there.” 

“It’s my most precious discovery,” Ukowski added, detailing to the Polish Press Agency his previous find last year of a broken papal bull likely linked to Clement VI. 

Experts think that the dagger might have been cast in southern Europe and then imported to the Baltic coast.  

The dagger handle is thin and decorated with sculpted rings. The blade starts out large, about the width of a thumb, narrows into a sharp point, and is decorated with tiny crescent moons and stars at the top and geometric patterns on the rest of its length. 

According to museum officials, the decorative stars could represent constellations, suggesting a ritual significance related to a “solar cult.” These intricate decorations are a testament to the exceptional metallurgical ability behind the artifact. 

Another theory is that it could have belonged to a wealthy warrior. 

“A true work of art,” Kurka told PAP. “I have not seen such a dagger in my experience with discoveries in Polish territory.”